End of Summer
by MsCogsworthy
Summary: Songfic: The summer after graduation will see the start of the war and the foursome split. Independent continuation of Waking Dreams. Reviews appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

_And I feel like the neighbor's girl who will never be the same,  
She walked alone all spring,  
She had a boyfriend when the summer came._

  
  
  
  


"Harry!" I skipped a few steps to catch up with him. His smile as he turned to me was warm and welcoming. I slipped under his arm and kissed his cheek.

  
  


"Hey, you." He hugged me with one arm. "You look happy for a change. Something good happen?" He studied me with his intense grassy eyes. I felt a familiar urge, to push that single errant lock of dark hair out of his eyes, but picked at one nail instead. I smiled to myself. Right in one, as always. Harry knew I'd been dreading summer, that I'd worried and fretted all spring as the last days of our last year at Hogwarts slipped by quicker than I could grasp at them.

  
  


I pulled the crumpled piece of parchment out of my pocket. "Something very good, actually. I just got post from my Gram." I waved the parchment at him as excitement bubbled up beneath my chest.

  
  


He pulled the letter away from me. "Before I read it, do you want to spoil it for me?" He was teasing me- he knew how hard it was for me to keep good news to myself. But I shook my head at him, so he started reading. I giggled when he stopped reading and looked at me, his eyes round with surprise.

  
  


"What's Harry all agog about? Ann, did you say something naughty?" Hermione and Ron fell in around us. Hermione grinned at Harry, obviously enjoying the sight of him speechless. Ron snatched at the piece of parchment, but Harry held the scrap away out of his reach. Hermione and I stepped aside as they struggled- poor Ron, a full six inches shorter than Harry and he hadn't yet learned not to let himself be goaded. I hugged Hermione, startling her somewhat.

  
  


"Oh, Hermione. It's just wonderful. My Gram invited you all to come and stay the summer." I hugged her again. Everyone froze. Ron goggled at me, then whooped and swung me around until Harry glowered at him.

  
  


"I've never been to Edinburgh." Hermione hugged me again. "This is great, Ann! We'll get to spend our last summer together before we go off in the fall." I felt the old, familiar clenching in my stomach when she mentioned the fall. Harry must have seen it in my face, because he pulled me close to him. What would I do without my friends?

  
  
  
  


**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ That Evening ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

  
  


Hermione and I sat in the Gryffindor Common Room, pretending to study. Professor Snape had gotten particularly vicious as the spring term wore on, piling on Potions homework until even Hermione despaired of finishing it. I wondered if it was his way of pretending that we weren't leaving- I would never tell Hermione, but I had grown fond of the strange man in the last two years. I felt my throat close at the thought of leaving this place.

  
  


Hermione clapped her book shut. "Well, that's that, then. We're done." She settled back in her chair, and I desperately tried to get my tears under control. I knew everyone was concerned about my persistent sorrow- I didn't want Hermione to go to McGonagall or, worse, Dumbledore.

  
  


She saw through me, though. Her face wrinkled in worry. "Ann, are you okay? No. Wait. That was a silly question- you're obviously not okay. What's wrong?" I shook my head at her, ducking my face so she couldn't see me, but she wasn't having it. She tsked at me. "You have to talk to me sometime. Either me, or McGonagall." She crossed her arms and waited.

  
  


I sighed. "All right, fine." I looked directly at her, almost angry. "I hate thinking about the fall. I hate thinking about the end of the term. I don't want to leave here, Hermione. I love Hogwarts, I can't figure out how I'll manage without everyone and I just don't want to go." I felt the tears I'd held back all day finally spill down my face. I sat, watching my hands shake.

  
  


"I don't understand, Ann. You got a great scholarship to Edinburgh. I'll only be at Oxford- so will Harry, and Ron's working for the Ministry in London. We're just a couple of hours away, less if you travel by Floo. You can visit anytime, every day if you want."

  
  


"It's not the same, 'Mione. You'll all be mostly together, and I'll be in Scotland by myself. I'll miss us all being together for meals and studying and Quidditch...I won't know anyone. I've never been to school where I didn't know anyone before. What if people think I'm...strange?" I couldn't stop shaking. None of them had any idea how scared I was, how afraid I was to be alone among all those strangers.

  
  


She laughed a little. "Ann, people will think you're weird no matter where you go. Believe me, I know." She shook her head. "You won't be all alone. You're living with your Gram, right? And your sister lives there over the holidays. Like I said, we won't be far away- we'll come whenever you need us." She broke off as Ron and Harry entered the Common Room, still dressed for Quidditch. Ron draped himself around Hermione's shoulders and peered at me like an owl.

  
  


"Oi, Ann. Not again, mate." He reached over to ruffle my hair. "You've got to get a hold on yourself, woman. You're going to outmoan Moaning Myrtle." 

  
  


Harry dropped over the back of the sofa and wrapped his legs around me. I leaned back into him, savoring the leather and sweat smell that I'd come to associate with him. "At least Ann doesn't flood the toilets when she's upset." He grinned, then sobered. "He's right, though, luv. I wish you'd cheer up a bit. It's not the end of the world, you know." He wrapped his arms around me and snuggled his chin into my hair.

  
  


I tried a weak smile. "It's the end of something, though. Just everyone say they'll come stay the summer. Harry, I know you're coming." He nodded against my head. His aunt and uncle had kicked him out the past summer, when he turned seventeen, so I knew he'd be staying at the Weasleys until fall anyway. "What about you two? Will your folks let you come?"

  
  


Hermione grinned. "My parents think it's a wonderful idea. I think they're planning to go away for the summer. Remind me to get your Gram's address- they want to write and discuss some things and say thanks."

  
  


"I'm pretty sure my folks will say yes," Ron piped up. "They said something about going to see Charlie, and I'm kind of sick of Romania." They chatted about travel arrangements and graduation; I sat in the warm nest of Harry's limbs and tried to pay attention, all the time counting off the days of summer.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ May ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ **

  
  


We stood on the Hogwarts platform, watching our friends climb on the Express for the last time. We would be taking a Muggle train from the nearest city to Edinburgh later in the afternoon; we only came to the platform to say goodbye.

  
  


I didn't bother to control my tears that day. Seamus and Neville, Parvati, Lavendar, all the people I had come to know. I shocked Slytherins and Gryffindors alike by shaking hands with Draco Malfoy; although I knew we'd see each other again- families like ours never really got away from each other- there was something curiously sad about that day that made me want to hang on to even him. 

  
  


Leaving the school had been terribly hard. McGonagall shook our hands and wished us well, her voice cracking. Professor Snape had pulled me aside at the last minute to talk with me about Edinburgh; a colleague of his was a professor there and Snape had spoken to him about me. Dumbledore looked so frail as we walked out of the Great Hall; I wanted to drop my bags and run back inside as the massive doors closed behind us.

  
  


Hagrid had come partway to the station with us, weeping. He left us at the lake, unable to stand watching us leave. So we stood alone, eventually, the three of us left to Apparate our own way to Glasgow.

  
  


**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ On the Train ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

  
  


"Tell me again. If we could Apparate to Glasgow, why can't we just go the rest of the way to Edinburgh instead of taking the train?" Ron was wary of Muggle transportation in the way that only pureblood wizards really can be. Harry turned from his seat by the window.

  
  


"Because, Ron. It's fun. It's an adventure. You wouldn't get to see all this-" he gestured at the sweeping Highlands outside the window, "if we just Apparated there."

  
  


"Besides," I broke in. "My Gram's one of those old-school witches. You try to keep fairly quiet around Muggles, blend in, all that stuff. She's always been adamant about us kids learning to function in the Muggle world. And we can't Apparate into the house- it's Guarded."

  
  


Hermione was endlessly fascinated by my family. "Why is your house Guarded so heavily? I mean, I know your dad's high up in the Canadian Ministry, but why's your Gram so protected?"

  
  


"Just one of the side effects of being in a Great Family. Gram's the Llewellyn matriarch. She's the head of my mom's family right now. That means she's pretty high profile in the wizarding world, and with the Dark on the move, we can't be too careful." I grinned at them all. "I'm sure the security's been beefed up too, what with the visit from the Boy Who Lived."

  
  


Harry made a noise in his throat. "Your Gram's not going to be all weird around me, is she?" I knew he hated being fussed over like some kind of celebrity everywhere he went.

  
  


"No. She's not like that. You'll like her- she'll treat you like her own grandchild. But she also isn't going to be responsible for you getting killed or something." I touched his arm reassuringly.

  
  


The train ride sped by in a blur of conversation both serious and teasing. As we pulled into Edinburgh, the other three grew increasingly more excited. I tried to look at the familiar city through their eyes; the rolling hills, the great castle at the top and the city flowing down toward the water gentle stone waves.

  
  


"Ann." Harry tapped me on the shoulder. "What's that?" He pointed to a steep, grassy hill that looked dented in at the top as if it had been sat upon by a giant.

  
  


"That's Arthur's Seat. It's a part of Holyrood Park- according to the legend, King Arthur sat there and left that saddle-shaped hollow at the top. If you can believe it, the kings used to hunt deer there."

  
  


Harry whistled. It was hard to imagine the ancient kings chasing deer up those slopes on foot, much less on horseback. I made a mental note. "We'll go up there one day. The view of the city is spectacular. If we're lucky, the Midsummer Festival will be there this year."

  
  


As the train eased into the station, I scanned the crowd, hunting for my grandmother's slight figure. We scrambled off the train, dragging our bags behind us, and paused on the platform. Ron looked a little panicky, probably from the rush of unfamiliar noises that swirled around the platform. I caught sight of Gram across the station. "There she is, over there under the clock.'

  
  


We picked up our bags and hurried over to her. She flung her slim arms out to grab me in a ferocious hug, her comfortable brogue flowing over me like warm honey.

  
  


"Oh, Ann, my dear. I was just beginning to worry about you. How was your trip? Oh, don't answer that now. You're all tired; let's get you home first, then we'll talk." She beamed at my friends. "Hello, everyone! Get your things. The car's outside. We'll be home in a few minutes."

  
  


The others craned their necks in every direction as we left the station. We packed the car quickly and drove along the waterside. Hermione hd her nose buried in a guidebook her parents had sent her. "Ann, where in the city do you live?"

  
  


Gram smiled at me across the front seat. I struggled around to face the backseat. "We don't really live in the city. At least, we don't technically live in the city. We live in Dean, which used to be a village outside the city limits. It's been absorbed into the city over the centuries though." I leaned over the seat to point it out on the map. "See, here's the castle. High Street runs south to Holyroodhouse-- that's the Queen's residence. There's the Seat." I traced the directions with my finger, allowing myself a bit of magic to make the route glow a pale blue. "If you look backwards back behind Edinburgh castle, across the Water of Leith- that's the river- we live there, in Dean Village." I shook my head at Hermione, who was busily taking notes in the margins of her book.

  
  


We didn't talk much the rest of the way to the house, except for occasional questions about something we passed. I felt heavy, exhausted by the trip and the strain of our last few days. Gram's staff helped us unload and showed us to our rooms. Hermione and I curled up on the comfortable chairs in my old bedroom.

  
  


Hermione looked around my room, at the pale blue walls and white furniture, soft linens, warm sunlight filtering in through a bank of windows. She picked up one of my old teddy bears from one of the beds and sat with it in her lap.

  
  


"I hope you don't mind sharing the room, 'Mione. If we get sick of each other, there are lots of other rooms, or if you just want to be by yourself." She shook her head.

  
  


"I think it'll be fun. It'll be like being back at school." She squeezed my bear tightly. "Is Betsy coming this summer?"

  
  


My little sister. Her photo waved and winked from my dresser. "No. She's going home for a while. She'll be here later in the summer, though. As soon as Dad gets on her about something, or she just gets sick of being home." 

  
  


Hermione narrowed her eyes at me. "It doesn't really seem fair, does it Ann? You haven't been home since before you came to Hogwarts. And your parents didn't come to graduation, did they?"

  
  


They hadn't. Mother had sent a note, explaining that Dad was needed at home, the Dark was getting active, they couldn't possibly get away, maybe she'd come over the summer. She'd sent an obscenely expensive dress that hung in my closet at Gram's. I hated it on sight.

  
  


"They're busy. Mom sent a gift. Hey, let's not sit around all day- let's go see what Gram's got to eat."

  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

_And he gave her flowers in a lightning storm,  
They disappeared at night in green fields of silver corn._

  
  
  
  


That summer was glorious. We crawled all over Edinburgh, haunted the museums and castles, played in the parks, watched the sun set over the Firth of Forth. I treasured every moment, pouring each into a Perseive as insurance against the fall.

  
  


One night close to Midsummer, as I lay in my bed, restless from some unknown anxiety, I heard a soft knock at the door. I slipped out of bed, moving quietly to not wake Hermione, and opened the door a few inches. A bright green eye winked at me.

  
  


"Harry? Are you okay? What's wrong?" He didn't look hurt or sick. I wondered if Ron was ill.

  
  


"Nothing's wrong. Go put on some clothes and let's go for a walk." He grinned at me. I checked my watch.

  
  


"Harry, it's four o'clock."

  
  


"Are you doing something else? I just thought, see, I was awake, and I kind of thought you were too, and I thought you might like company, but I didn't want to wake up Ron or Hermione. So I thought we'd go for a walk."

  
  


"I'll get my shoes." I slid into a knit skirt and long-sleeved top, shoved my feet into a pair of comfortable shoes, and woke Hermione up. "'Mione, I'm going out for a walk. I'll leave a note for Gram, but I didn't want you to worry." She nodded sleepily and promptly went back to sleep.

  
  


Harry twined his fingers in mine as we slipped out of the house. The moon hung, swollen and creamy above the Leith, a soft breeze brushing through our hair. We walked across the bridge to the city, down the High Street to Holyroodhouse and up again into Holyrood Park. Harry slipped his arm around my waist as the hill grew steeper. We struggled up the steep slope through the sparse tree line and out into the brilliant white moonlit meadows.

  
  


Harry drank in the city spread out below us like a chalk drawing, the Firth a shimmering ribbon in the distance, the remains of the Great Forest silent woody sentinels in the night. He climbed up on an outcropping of rock and lifted me up beside him. I shivered slightly as the breeze picked up, and he wound his arms around me.

  
  


"I used to come up here every summer when I was little. Mom would bring us to visit Gram at Midsummer, and my brother and I would sneak out of the house and come up here. We used to pretend that we were Arthur and Guinevere, or that we were the great kings of Scotland. He used to make flower wreaths for me, then threaten to thrash me if I told any of his friends."

  
  


I could feel Harry's breath in my hair. "You miss your family, dearest?" His voice was low and sweet in my ear. I nodded, suddenly melancholy.

  
  


"Sometimes. Things used to be...better. That's what I miss, I think. How we used to be, before things got all complicated." He squeezed me gently. I wondered if could understand how angry I still was with my family, even after three years. I gripped his arms tightly, leaning against his lithe body. We were silent for long moments. The wind increased, the trees below us rushing and whispering amongst themselves. Low clouds skidded across the swollen moon.

  
  


"I think it's going to storm." He spoke louder to be heard above the murmuring wind. "Are we safe up here?" 

  
  


"We should be. We're a little lower than you think- the edges of the saddle are higher up than us." I squirmed around to grin into his eyes. "We used to come up here when it stormed all the time. But if you're scared..." I let the challenge trail out, knowing that he'd never back down.

  
  


"Not a chance. But I do think we should get down off this rock." He handed me down off the outcropping to nestle down at its base. The clouds rolled in, black and angry, bursting with a cold rain that soaked us to the skin. Lightning cracked just above our heads, wild flashes of blue. Harry reached out to pick a few wildflowers, tucked them into my hair, and kissed me. His lips were firm and sweet, a ripe summer fruit I had never tasted before I met him, a new urgency in his kisses and in his hands as they moved across my back and buried deep in my hair. I pressed against him, shaking with chill and icy desire, twisting on his lap to face him, his hands cupping my bottom. He nibbled on my ear, along my jaw, a hot pressure against my chilly flesh. His lips returned to mine, slower this time, less desperately hungry.

  
  


He disentangled himself gently, leaning his forehead against mine. "You're freezing, dearest. We should go back. Look," he pointed over my shoulder. I turned to follow his finger. "That's the edge of the storm. And that's sunrise."

  
  
  
  


_And sometime in July she just forgot that he was leaving,  
So when the fields were dying, she held on to his sleeves,  
She held on to his sleeves._

  
  
  
  


August came too quickly, creeping in on my happiness like a thief, stealing the precious days away from us. Harry and I spent many nights on the hillside, settling our future. He would go to Oxford, I would go to Edinburgh. We both planned to teach, after, and settle down and try to be the kind of family we each wanted so badly. Ron and Hermione made things more formal, a simple pair of rings exchanged at Midsummer and a promise of something more permanent once they were secure. Gram, I know, hoped for our wedding by September, but settled for a second commitment ceremony in early August. We each wore a simple silver band, engraved with thistles and our names.

  
  


We created our own little world, there, and ignored the news that trickled in from far-flung places. Reports of increasing Dark activity. Suspicious gatherings in other cities. Deaths. I tried to avoid the newspaper at breakfast, not wanting anything to interfere with our last summer. Harry tried to ignore the news at first, but I could tell that the reports worried him.

  
  


We went out one night, to a gathering of magical folk, at the home of one of Gram's friends. There was traditional Scottish music, and dancing, and I reveled in a chance to dance with Harry under the summer stars. I taught him to waltz, and reel, and surprised him by singing several of my favorite old ballads. At midnight, he kissed me under the rose arbor. He suggested that we leave; we gathered our things and were almost to the door when it was flung open by a wild-eyed wizard.

  
  


"It's happened!" His voice was panicky, high pitched. The lively music lurched to silence, the musicians laying aside their bows and pipes. He thrust a parchment at Gram and collapsed into a chair. Gram studied the paper, a frown creasing her smooth brow. I felt a fist of fear clutching my gut. I clung to Harry's arm, willing myself to wake up, to not have to hear what I knew was coming next. Gram looked up from the story, her face stricken and suddenly aged. Her fierce blue eyes caught mine. I felt the ground slipping beneath my feet.

  
  


"It's true. The war has started." The ground tilted beneath me, and I felt Harry grab for me as I fell off the world.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

"I have to go, Ann. The Ministry sent for me personally. They need me." Harry raked both hands through his already-wild hair, pacing across the lounge with frustrated steps. I huddled on the sofa, hands clasped tightly together, twisting his ring on my finger. Hermione and Ron stood by silently; they would be leaving for London at the end of the week so that Ron could report to work, then Hermione would go on to Oxford. I felt a dull flare of anger that Ron would get to stay in England, would not have to go to find Voldemort, would not be leaving Hermione to be a hero.

  
  


"You don't _have_ to go, Harry. Tell them you want to stay in England; you know they'd be overjoyed to have you on Home Defense." I could hear my own voice, edgy with panic and unshed tears. "I don't understand why you have to go overseas." My vision blurred and doubled.

  
  


He turned on me, suddenly angry. His voice cracked with fury, battering against my ears. "I don't have a choice! He's somewhere in the States where he thinks he's safe. We have to go after him, Ann. Or don't you care if he wins? Don't you care about anything else but yourself?" He trembled before me, his body taut with rage. I couldn't look at him, couldn't stop the tears from pouring down my face. Hermione stepped between us, glaring at him fiercely.

  
  


"Harry, stop it. You don't have to yell at Ann. None of us wants you to go. You don't have to take it out on her because she's honest enough to say she's scared." Hermione took me in her arms as I finally broke down sobbing. Ron laid a hand on Harry's arm, trying to calm him. Harry knelt on the carpet and pulled me away from Hermione into his arms. He stroked my hair as I clung to him and begged him not to go, even though I knew he would.

  
  
  
  


_And she doesn't want to let go,  
Cause she won't know what she's up against...  
It's the end of summer, the end of summer,  
When you hang your flowers up to dry_

  
  
  
  


Ron and Hermione left first. We saw them off at the station; they took the Muggle trains to London to spend a few more days together. Ron would start training as an Auror almost immediately. Hermione would go to Oxford to start her studies; if the war continued until her graduation in two years, she would also join the Ministry. She hugged me tightly and we both cried, promising to visit soon. I hugged Ron and he chucked me under the chin. They boarded the train, leaving Harry and me on the platform, leaning on each other for support.

  
  


Harry put off leaving as long as he could. He followed the news, tense and harried; a flurry of owls flew from our house to various Ministry officers and Hogwarts. Dumbledore intervened to arrange a leave of absence from Oxford for Harry. He visited us several times that last month, mostly to discuss the war with Harry, but also to try to relieve my own crushing grief.

  
  


I tried several times to convince Harry not to go. Each time escalated into a vicious fight; we flayed each other with the skills born of longtime intimacy. I ridiculed his sense of nobility, his need to martyr himself, his disregard for his own happiness. He derided my fear, shredded my feelings and finally questioned my love for him. I pushed him away again and again, only to cling to him the very next moment. 

  
  


He stayed through the early days of September, until my own classes started. He packed one afternoon while I was in the library, had everything sent ahead to his new home. He waited for me, to say goodbye. We walked through the city streets a last time. I hated every person we passed, blamed them all for taking Harry away from me, wished terrible things. I even hated the skies because they refused to rain for me.

  
  


We stood on the outcropping of rock on Arthur's Seat where we had kissed all through that summer. Harry folded me against his chest, holding me as close as he could. I could hear his heartbeat through his shirt, steady and strong. He pressed is lips to the top of my head, murmuring into my hair.

  
  


"Please don't think I don't love you, Ann. I do, and I'm just as scared as you are. I don't want to lose you over this. But I have a responsibility, a job to do now. I have to go."

  
  


I nodded even as I screamed inside. "I know," I choked out. "I know you have to go. I don't have to be happy though. Just promise me you'll write, or owl, or something. Send word through Dumbledore or Hermione." I wouldn't ask him to promise to come back. I couldn't hear him say no.

  
  


He nodded and gathered me to him again. Our lips met, a soft warm salty pressure, bitter and frightened. I turned my back when he stepped away from me and refused to watch as he Apparated away from me. I stood on the Seat for hours, watching the clouds pass and the sun set, the moon rise over the Firth and the stars come out like ice on silk. I followed the sunrise home, finally seeing the city through new eyes.

  
  


_The summer ends and we wonder who we are...  
And the same things looked different,  
It's the end of summer, the end of summer  
When you move to another place..._


End file.
